KDs are designed/developed/inspired/mused/auto-suggested/indigested to make folks think; an especially uncommon experience among Democrats, Republicans, and jingoistic mainline denominationalists who continue to discourage dissent with their ever-threatening thought police.

"Now I lay
me down to sleep. I pray the Lord my soul to keep. If I should die
before I wake, I pray the Lord my soul to take."

Amen!

But some folks
don't sleep...well.

@#$%

A fellah who
doesn't sleep...well...said, "Whenever you tell anyone you're an
insomniac, you can guarantee what they'll say: 'That's funny because I'm asleep
as soon as my head hits the pillow.' But when I meet a blind man, I don't
say, 'That's funny because I can see perfectly.'"

@#$%

Insomnia is no
joking matter.

Insomniacs,
people who do not sleep...well, are often irritable, depressed, tense, anxious,
stressed, plagued by headaches, accident prone, unfocused, forgetful,...and
painfully weary because they haven't been sleeping...well.

@#$%

My first
introduction to insomnia was a few decades ago with a church musician who said,
"I'm having so many problems with our choir and you that I can't sleep at night."

Younger and even
bolder than I am now, realizing ya can't fix what ya won't face, I said,
"That's not the choir's problem and that's not my problem. That's
your problem. Most of us sleep well even though we're having problems
with you."

"What do you
mean by that?" she snapped.

"Well,
friend," I replied, "unless you've got some kinda medical or
emotional problem, it's probably a spiritual problem that you don't sleep well
at night. Really, don't you believe God's in control of the choir, you,
me, and everything else?"

@#$%

Insomnia
sometimes signals a spiritual problem.

Sometimes not.

@#$%

Insomnia may
be a medical or psychological problem demanding medical or psychological
therapy.

Insomnia may
mean we're just not taking care of ourselves by setting aside enough hours for
sleep.

God created us
with a physical and psychological need for almost a third of our lives to be
spent in sleep.

Insomnia may mean
we're not exercising enough or eating too much too late at night or smoking too
much or drinking too much caffeine or alcohol or taking the wrong kinda meds or
using our beds for stuff other than the two purposes prescribed by most
physicians, psychiatrists, and psychologists.

If you need help
on that last one...

@#$%

The Mayo Clinic:
"Insomnia is a persistent disorder that can make it hard to fall asleep,
hard to stay asleep or both, despite the opportunity for adequate
sleep...[People who don't sleep well]...awaken feeling unrefreshed...Insomnia
can sap...your energy and mood...health...work performance, and quality of
life."

@#$%

Insomnia,
bringing to mind the aforementioned church musician, may be a spiritual problem
that can only be cured by a spiritual solution.

@#$%

Bert Atwood, one
of the most practical preaching professors that I ever had, often said,
"Trust Jesus...and, in everything else, hang loose!"

@#$%

Do you remember
when Jesus got into a boat with the disciples and then fell asleep during a
terrible storm?

They awakened Him
in panic and begged, "Jesus, save us! We're gonna drown! How
can you sleep when everything but heaven is breaking loose?"

He answered,
"Puuuuuuuhhhhlease!
Why are you such fraidy cats? You'd never be able to handle a
Metallica video! Dang, ya ain't got much faith!"

O.K., a little
license from the latest revised non-standard version of the...

@#$%

Moretheless, Jesus always
talked about rain falling on everybody; but anybody trusting Him will survive.

The Desert
Fathers of the 4th century always said as soon as one challenge ends, another
begins; but we can survive by sticking with God through them.

Bikers say you're
either riding into a storm or out of a storm before riding into a storm or out
of a storm before riding into...and the only way to remain calm is to know you
will ride out of a storm before riding into...

Jesus said
surviving the storms depends upon our relationship with Him.

Read the end of
Matthew 7.

@#$%

David's life was
constantly threatened by Saul and his own son Absalom and enemy after enemy;
but he never lost sleep over 'em because he trusted God to take care of him.

Read Psalms 3 and
4.

@#$%

Solomon said,
"My mind is clear, free from fear. I lie down and sleep so
well. I am refreshed by sweet sleep. I'm calm. I don't fear
anything or anyone because God is always around to protect me. He is the safeguard
of every step."

@#$%

Simply, the
spiritual way to sleep well is trusting God.

@#$%

Yeah, sleeping
pills or cocoa and marshmallows or hot tea or...may provide a quick fix or
bandaid or...buuuuuuut trusting
God is the only real fix, healing, and solution.

When we trust God
now and then and forever, we sleep...well.

@#$%

When we trust
God, we know the past is forgiven; so we don't have to worry about that and can
sleep...well.

When we trust
God, we know the present is sustained; so we don't have to worry about that and
can sleep...well.

When we trust
God, we know the future is secure; so we don't have to worry about that and can
sleep...well.

@#$%

Byron's son was a
heroin addict.

He said he
couldn't sleep...well...because of it.

Finally, his wife
Betsy said, "Byron, don't you trust God for our son? Don't you know
God loves our son even more than we do?"

When Byron
started trusting God for his son, he started sleeping...well.

@#$%

If you're not
sleeping...well, it may be a medical, psychological, or spiritual problem.